What's Hot: Very protective with three-piece design, has perfect cutouts and a built-in stand.

What's Not: We can't find any.

Seidio makes cases for gadget users who are active and on the go. Most of their cases aren't as rugged as cases from OtterBox, but they are rugged enough to protect your devices from big bumps and bruises. We liked their Innocase Active X case for the iPhone 4, and the Seidio Active Case for the iPad 2 has a similar design with 2-layer protection. But the iPad 2 case adds something that the iPhone 4 didn't have: a hard shell screen cover that doubles as a sturdy tablet stand. Like with the iPhone 4 Active case, the back cover on the iPad 2 also comes in different colors, though currently only the black version is available and Sapphire Blue and Amethyst are coming soon.

Design

Very similar to the iPhone 4 Active X case, the Seidio Active Case for iPad 2 has a clever two-layer design. The interior layer is made with soft rubber polymer that can absorb impact but won?t scratch the surface of your iPad2. The polymer layer has some thickness and fits the iPad 2 like a glove. The rubber case has inset for the exterior skeleton hard cover so that the hard cover sits flush with the rest of the rubber layer, adding no additional bulk to the case. The rubber case also has ribbed sides to help you handle the iPad 2 better. Like with the iPhone 4 case, the Seidio Active Case for iPad 2 has a hard shell that covers most of the iPad 2?s back and grabs on the four corners and two sides like ?claws?. The hard shell provides not only the extra protect for the back of the tablet but also gives lots of support for the structural integrity. Your iPad 2 will sit safely in a crowded bag thanks to the skeleton cover.

The Seidio Active Case for iPad 2 isn?t just a blown-up version of the Active X case for the iPhone 4. It has something to protect the large screen on the tablet, a multi-purpose screen cover. The screen cover reminds us of some of the screen covers on OtterBox cases as it?s hard and sturdy. The hard cover also has a very clever design: it covers the iPad 2?s screen and also has ?claws? to latch onto the ?claws? of the skeleton shell. This design ensures that the screen cover goes onto the rest of the case securely but since it works with the hard shell pieces, it doesn?t add any pressure to the iPad 2 through the rubber layer. Together with the two hard shell pieces on the front and back, the Seidio Active Case is like armor for your iPad 2. The skeleton shell has some flexibility for you to put it on or take it off without too much struggle.

The case weighs 6.4 oz. without the screen cover, and 12 oz. with it.

Features

The Seidio Active Case for iPad 2 has perfect cutouts for all ports and buttons on the tablet as well as the rear camera and the speaker grill. You should have no trouble using any charging cables or audio headsets on the iPad 2. The rubber layer case and the skeleton claws wrap around the front of the iPad 2, creating a protective frame so that when you lay the tablet screen side down, the case touches the table surface, not the iPad 2?s screen. The front screen frame stops short at the front facing camera, leaving it exposed for video chat. The case has semicircle cutout for the Home button making it very easy to use while the iPad 2 is sitting in the case.

The additional piece in the iPad 2 version of the Active case is perhaps the most used one. The screen cover is sturdy yet light, coated with the same rubberized coating as the skeleton shell, so it feels soft in hand yet it?s very rigid. The cover has rubber material on the sides to help with handling the tablet, and it has grippy strips so that it won?t slide when your tablet is propped up sitting on the cover. The stand built into the case has a metal ring that can slide into one of the 15 slots to create different viewing angles for your iPad 2. The side of the stand that touches your tablet has a very soft suede surface so it won?t scratch your iPad 2 when you use the stand. The stand is steady when holding up the iPad 2, and you can fold the stand up when it?s not in use.

Conclusion

We liked the Seidio Active X case for the iPhone 4, and we like the Seidio Active Case for iPad 2 for the same reasons. It?s semi-rugged yet very slim, it?s very well built and can protect your iPad 2 from shocks, bumps and other harmful factors in a crowded backpack or computer bag. The additional screen cover makes a lot of sense for the large screen, and it doubles as a very capable tablet stands that?s steady and won?t slip on a flat surface. You can choose to take the entire case for a trip or leave the screen cover behind for a day in the office. You will like all the details and cares put into this case when you have it in your hand.